Be Vigilant for Signs Adolescents Are Vaping Cannabis

Despite increased emphasis on public education on the dangers of vaping various substances, the “past 12 months” prevalence of cannabis vaping by adolescents more than doubled between 2013 and 2020 (from 6.1% to 13.6%) according to an article published by JAMA Pediatrics. The authors conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of 17 unique studies from the United States and Canada, reflecting the experiences of 198,845 adolescents. They also discovered that preference for cannabis products seems to be shifting from dried products to cannabis oil. Their obvious conclusion was that “more effective prevention and response measures are required to mitigate the increasing prevalence of cannabis vaping among adolescents.” Increase use of vaping devices for cannabis or any product leaves the user at risk for vaping-associated lung injury, the signs and symptoms of which were detailed in an article currently in the JUCM archive. You can read Vaping-Associated Lung Injury (EVALI) Presenting to Urgent Care right now. On a related note, a study out of the University of California San Francisco’s Center for Tobacco Control Research and Education reveals evidence that youth and young adults (up to age 30, for purposes of this meta-analysis) who first use nicotine in e-cigarette form are much more likely to become cigarette smokers.